#InThisTogether: 21 APR 2020

With everything going on during the COVID-19 crisis, we wanted to share some of the stories about what Cook people are doing during this difficult time. All around the Cook world, we are #InThisTogether, and we would love to hear stories about how you and your coworkers are stepping up to make a difference. If you have a story to share, please email us at BlogEditor@CookMedical.com.

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“I wanted to do something to help.”

By Jon Hancuff, manager, global Editorial Content

One characteristic that seems to define Cook people is an almost frantic urge to ask “How can I help?” during times of crisis. As much as possible, a Cook person wants to do something to positively impact people’s lives in as direct a way as possible.

And those who live their lives in this way often raise children who view life as a series of opportunities to make a difference.

That seems to be the case with Stephen (Business Insights) and Megan (Global Privacy) Charlesworth and their daughter, Naomi. In early April, Naomi, who is finishing her junior year of high school, began making cloth masks for the Bloomington Fabric Mask Drive, while Stephen started 3D printing surgical mask straps for healthcare workers.

The idea for making cloth masks came from, not surprisingly, another family member. Naomi’s grandmother was making masks for Naomi’s aunt, who works in a nursing home. She also told Naomi about a cloth mask drive in Indianapolis where volunteers had made “a ton of masks” that were donated to people who needed them. After she got off the phone, Naomi did an internet search and found that a similar drive was being held in Bloomington, so she signed up as a volunteer.

The group provided her with a pattern, an online tutorial, and enough material to make 10 masks. After a little hiccup at the beginning (“I had to relearn how to use my sewing machine,” Naomi said,) she began sewing masks on April 3. By April 13, she had already made more than 50 masks.

“I’m not very fast or experienced with sewing, and my schoolwork prevents me from making masks as often as I’d like, but I’m so glad I’m able to help the community,” Naomi said, “Even if it’s in a small way.”

Stephen found out about the surgical mask straps after Megan tagged him on a Facebook post about them. Designed by a Boy Scout in Canada, the straps are designed to keep the elastic loops on the masks from painfully digging into the skin behind a healthcare provider’s ears and to prevent chafing and skin breakdown.

Stephen asked his sister, Naomi’s aunt, the nurse, if she and her colleagues would be interested in the straps.

“She said ‘yes’ pretty enthusiastically, so I felt like, ‘Cool, I’m not just printing stuff to make myself feel like I’m doing something, I’m actually filling a need here,’” he said.

Each strap, which is made from a plastic filament, takes about half an hour for the 3D printer to complete. Stephen will start one and do other work while monitoring the printer via a camera.

He is now looking at joining an effort, along with other members of local makerspace BloomingLabs, to 3D print face shields for healthcare providers to wear in their facilities.

“There was a lot of talk about people 3D printing ventilator parts, but the reality is, as we know, manufacturing healthcare devices is a very complex process with a lot of necessary safeguards because of what’s at stake,” Stephen said.

“I wanted to do something to help, but I wanted to do something that was connected to a real need, but was also feasible,” Stephen said.

Additional resources

For more information about masks and information on how to make your own, check out the CDC website by clicking here.

For more information about the mask straps, click here.

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